Sovereign of the Ashes

Sein felt more at ease with Sev accompanying Tourmaline, though he was still a little worried that the dragon turtle might not return for him.

It was not that Sein did not trust Tourmaline, but he was aware that accidents could happen. For instance, what if Tourmaline’s brother decided not to let Tourmaline leave?

With other surprises and variables in play, having Sev by Tourmaline’s side was reassuring.

He knew that Sev’s loyalty to him was unwavering, which alleviated any worries about potentially losing Tourmaline.

As they prepared to part, a dark shadow gradually descended from the distant sky, accompanied by a mighty and oppressive force sweeping down.

Soon, the sky turned pitch-black, with heavy ink-colored clouds appearing in the previously clear sky.

Though there was no dramatic lightning or thunder, a drizzle began to fall.

Something was coming... More precisely, a terrifying being was approaching.

“My brother and his friends are coming,” Tourmaline said to Sein, gazing up at the dark clouds in the sky.

Sein had already gotten off Tourmaline’s back and dismantled the temporary residence he had constructed there.

Despite their close bond, it was unwise to flaunt their friendship in front of Tourmaline’s family, particularly because its elder brother might take offense at what it perceived as Sein’s overfamiliarity.

Sein knew he could not assume all of Tourmaline’s siblings would share its easygoing nature.

Initially, Sein planned to leave immediately, but with Tourmaline’s elder brother coming, he decided it was best to meet it first.

As dark clouds spread rapidly across the sky and a formidable pressure descended, Sein realized he would not be able to leave in time.

Hence, he hovered next to Tourmaline’s head silently, waiting for the unknown to unfold.

CRACCCCK!

Thunder finally erupted, accompanied by a striking blue bolt that sliced through the clouds.

The arrival of Tourmaline’s elder brother was far more terrifying than Tourmaline’s.

The oppressive atmosphere and the surging tidal waves of elemental forces reminded Sein of the time when his mentor unleashed a forbidden spell during the Viridian Venom Flame World war.

If Sein remembered correctly, Tourmaline’s fourth brother, who was about to appear, was the least powerful among its older siblings.

Perhaps the overwhelming aura had something to do with its fourth brother’s flamboyant personality.

Tourmaline’s third sister had once said that their fourth brother was a “handful”.

As dark clouds filled the sky and the oppressive aura of high-level creatures descended, a semi-transparent elemental shield quietly rose around the border city of the Marmett Union Alliance, not far from where Sein and the others were.

Though the Marmett Union Alliance had largely ignored Sein’s group since their brief meeting with the Rank Five mage, Sein was certain they were still being monitored by the alliance.

The appearance of such a high-ranking mage showed how highly they regarded Tourmaline.

The city’s elemental shield was designed to withstand the formidable pressures exerted by terrifying creatures sweeping through the area.

As the storm intensified, Sein realized he was not equipped to face the might of a creature of Rank Four or higher.

At just the right moment, Tourmaline leaned over, instinctively protectively covering Sein with its body.

Its thick shell effectively protected Sein from the overwhelming pressures and potential dangers.

The entities above the clouds finally seemed to notice the “tiny existences” beside Tourmaline and reduced the intensity of their pressure.

Suddenly, a huge dragon head emerged from the dark clouds.

Unlike Tourmaline’s greenish scales, this dragon’s scales were pitch-black.

Its appearance bore some similarities to Tourmaline, but this black dragon head looked more majestic and, frankly, more “menacing”.

Unlike Tourmaline, who sometimes seemed a bit goofy, the dragon in the sky did not appear friendly at all.

However, what truly shocked Sein was what emerged from the clouds immediately following the dragon’s head.

Instead of the massive tortoise body he had anticipated, he saw a dragon’s body that seemed to be over three thousand meters long.

“It’s a... real dragon?” Sein uttered in awe as he watched the behemoth slowly reveal itself.

Tourmaline’s fourth brother had a rare and unique name—Black Oblivion.

This black dragon was markedly different from the traditional dragons Sein was familiar with.

The Rank Two dragon Sein encountered in the Pyro Crystal Range was a purebred from Magus World.

Despite its majestic dragon head, its overall appearance, bluntly put, was quite similar to a large monitor lizard.

In contrast, the black dragon before him resembled an incredibly thick, giant snake.

Sein realized he had much to learn about the diversity of dragon-like creatures.

For instance, the demigod-level Fire-Breathing Dragon King, imprisoned in Master Lorianne’s laboratory, was likely a type of flying dragon.

The dragon looming in the sky above was probably a flood dragon.

Flood dragons were known to exist in the vast star domain overseen by the Magus Civilization, along with countless surrounding planes.

For instance, in the Deep Ocean Dragon World, a medium-sized plane governed by the Magus Alliance, the predominant species comprised of dragons that bore a striking resemblance to Tourmaline’s brother.

The reason why Tourmaline resembled a dragon turtle while its brother, Black Oblivion, was a flood dragon remained a mystery to Sein.

Sein was taken aback by the Black Oblivion’s sheer size when he first laid his eyes on it.

The ink-colored dragon, coiled in the sky, wore an imposing and menacing face, yet Sein could sense the black dragon’s joy at seeing Tourmaline.

Tourmaline also seemed overjoyed, having grown up mostly with its third sister and fourth brother, who were more gentle than its other two elder brothers.

At least, Tourmaline could act like a child around its third sister and fourth brother.

The appearance of the black dragon gave Sein a big shock. Soon after, several other behemoths emerged from the dark clouds.

Although they did not match Tourmaline’s brother’s size and the intensity of the pressure it emitted, they were still impressive in their own right!

Sein could sense that none of them were any less formidable than the Fire-Breathing Dragon King in Master Lorianne’s laboratory!